Recreational areas such as parks and playgrounds often include one or more shade-providing structures. These shade-providing structures typically include a framework and a canopy that is tensioned and attached to the framework. In most cases, the assembly of those structures remains difficult. In particular, due to the large sizes of the canopies that are typically used, it is often difficult for an installer to provide the canopy with a desired degree of tension during the installation process. It is also often difficult to re-tension a canopy during the lifetime of the structure. The present invention discloses a new shade-providing structure that is easy to tension both during installation and throughout the lifetime of the structure.